Memories of the Fermi-Enfield Thanksgiving Football Rivalry

ENFIELD, CT — Thanksgiving Day is upon us, and for 37 years in Enfield, that was synonymous with getting the holiday off to a chilly start at one of the town's two high schools for a gridiron clash between crosstown rivals.

It's hard to believe 11 years have passed since the final showdown between Enfield and Fermi, with the Raiders prevailing 28-8 in the last encounter in 2009. Following that season, Enfield's league, the Nutmeg Football Conference, disbanded, and its new league, the Pequot Conference, did not allow schools to play out-of-conference games. Hence, the end of the Thanksgiving morning tradition.

Perhaps you were there for that final matchup in 2009. Or maybe you were in attendance at the inaugural game between the schools in 1972, when Enfield posted a 23-0 win. You may have even played in the game at some point, and found out firsthand what proved to be a fact throughout the years: no matter either team's record, fans could always count on an emotional, hard-hitting game that brought out the best in players and coaches from each side.

By the way, the series ended with Fermi holding a 19-17-1 advantage.

Some highlights from past games include:

• Joe "The Jet" Seeley rushing for 208 yards and five touchdowns in a 39-21 Enfield victory in 1973
• Fermi's first victory over the Raiders in 1974, 37-34, which was the highest combined point total in series history; two years later, the teams battled to a 0-0 tie
• Enfield's stingy defense shutting down a high-powered Falcon offense which had averaged 32 points per game in 1975, with the Raiders emerging with a 19-8 triumph; that was the final game coached by Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Joe Lamana, and was witnessed by nearly 10,000 spectators
• Enfield posted a 38-0 win in 1985; two years later, the Falcons crushed the Raiders by a 35-6 count
• Chris Kauffman ran for 230 yards and a pair of scores in an 18-6 Enfield win in 2002
• Houses and cars of senior players being decorated in the overnight hours prior to the game by the cheerleaders, boosters, fans and friends
• The unmistakable voice (and turkey calls) of the one and only Don Kegler.

Earlier this week, Enfield Patch asked readers to share their memories of the Thanksgiving Day games. One respondent, Nick Bevilacqua, never had the chance to play in the rivalry game, being a 2013 Enfield graduate, but he proudly recalled rushing for 103 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns in his final game, a 50-16 trouncing of the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy.

Here are some thoughts shared by Patch readers:

• "First Enfield vs. Fermi game. Watched the excitement, had graduated the year before. We did not play them my senior year. We still need to play them in a game for charity, though most of us would be too tired after the first play or two to continue. Plus a lot of team members no longer with us." - Mike Dynia
• "Always had the epic rival Thanksgiving Day football game between Enfield and Fermi. Almost every family in Enfield held off on dinner so we could attend. I am from Fermi, class of '78!" - Tammie Bousquet
• "Intercepting a Courtney McLaughlin pass!" - Joe Natale
• "I threw a lot of those." - Courtney McLaughlin in response
• "I had two boys that played for Enfield High and on Thanksgiving morning, the garage would have a big banner on it with their name to go and win. Of course, I had to stay home and cook the dinner, but i went a couple of times. It was fun." - Gerry Gates

Here is a gallery of some action shots throughout the years, courtesy of the Enfield Historical Society (unless otherwise noted). If you have any photos you took yourself (not newspaper clippings), please forward them to tim.jensen@patch.com to be added to the collection.

1972

1973

1975

1976

1978

1979

1984

1985

1989

1997

1998

1999

2007

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